2020 Corvette C8 To Rewrite History And Rules Of Sports Car Segment?

The news cycle for GM’s mysterious mid-engine car is on an endless loop these days with etched-in-stone talking points that barely budge.

Getting any update from GM or peripheral Corvette sycophants has been hopelessly fruitless so we automotive scribes have been relegated to treading water on the waves of the internet grasping at any piece of news like a chunk of driftwood that might float us to the promised land.

For now, let’s say this mid-engine car from GM is a Corvette. Some folks think it’s a Cadillac but that’s a different battle for another day.

Photo Car and Driver

The boilerplate that has emerged for the notion of a C8–mostly from speculation–is as follows: a range-topping, mid-engine supercar with a multi-valve V8 engine and benefitting from a clean-sheet chassis design leveraging everything GM engineering can muster. A “Halo” car that represents the pinnacle of mighty General Motors Design.

What if all that’s wrong?

What if the new mid-engine Corvette isn’t a halo car but an “affordable” stablemate to the existing C7? The first salvo of Corvette as a multi-model franchise?

What if GM is not only going to maintain it’s slot as the world’s leading sports car maker, but defend it’s position AND gobble up more market share by adding a revolutionary supercar sibling to the “standard” Corvette? One that would maintain the current pricing structure of the C7 but literally re-writes the rules–and history–for performance cars forever?

Chevy owns sports car market. Why not build and expand upon that with an additional model? Photo Road and Track

It’s been said that GM makes $10k for every Suburban SUV sold, so a Corvette, with a similar MSRP, probably is as big a cash cow for GM. For the record, GM sold over 40,000 Corvettes in 2016 and around 32,000 Corvettes in 2017. Serious numbers and profit.

How would YOU like to get in front of GM President Dan Amman, GM CEO Mary Barra, and GMNA President Mark Ruess down at the “Silver Silos” on the Detroit river and propose throwing ALL THAT out the window with a new-fangled, mid-engine design that might alienate a huge swath of faithful Corvette buyers? A “tough” meeting indeed.

Get your best pitch ready, it better be compelling. From left to right, GM President Dan Amman, GM CEO Mary Barra and GMNA President Mark Ruess

Current events regarding General Motors are key here as well. After the US auto titan pulled out of multiple overseas markets–including South Africa, India and friggin’ Europe–GM President Dan Amman stated, “We will remain in markets only where we are strong or could be strong…” Based on that, and the previously mentioned sales figures, it’s clear why GM chose to invest two-thirds of a billion dollars into Bowling Green and it’s segment-leading, sports car enterprise.

Attainable mid-engine performance for everyman? ‘Murica.

For long time auto mag followers, Don Sherman’s take on all this is the next best thing to a full on reveal of the damn car. His musings about the C8, which originally appear on insurance gurus Hagerty’s website, are interesting and support the idea of a chicken in every pot and a mid-engine supercar in every driveway.

Sherman says, “Considering that Chevy currently owns more than 40 percent of the $50-100,000 sports car market, flipping the switch from C7 to a radically different and more-expensive C8 would be insanity. Instead, building both Corvettes concurrently will allow the faithful to decide which best suits their fantasies.

With 500 or so horsepower on tap and a base price below $70,000, the 2020 C8 should revolutionize the supercar category. As this new platform matures, Chevy will add alternatives to today’s LT1 including an all-wheel-drive hybrid (possibly called E-Ray) and a twin-turbo DOHC V-8 hammering out a remarkable 1,000 horsepower.

The delicious dilemma due in 18 months is what Corvette shoppers with $70,000 burning a hole in their wallet will choose. Will it be a Corvette Grand Sport with a traditional powertrain layout or the mid-engine C8? Ladies and gentlemen, start your deliberation engines.”

So, for all you die-hard, old-school ‘Vette fans, would an attainable, state-of-the-art mid-engine supercar put to rest any reservations about the future of Corvette? Is there room for two Corvette models, standing shoulder to shoulder and offering buyers two flavors of General Motors fire power?

About the author

Dave Cruikshank

Dave Cruikshank is a lifelong car enthusiast and an Editor at Power Automedia. A zealous car geek since birth, he digs lead sleds, curvy fiberglass, kustoms and street rods. He currently owns a '95 Corvette, '76 Cadillac Seville, '99 LS1 Trans Am and big old Ford Van.